What is zero click marketing?
Zero click marketing means giving people what they need on the platform where they already are, without asking them to visit your website. Rand Fishkin, co-founder and CEO of the audience research company SparkToro, defines the goal in SparkToro's June 2026 zero-click study as "earning influence and growing your brand's awareness without requiring a visit to your website."
The name came from Fishkin's colleague Amanda Natividad, now SparkToro's Chief Evangelist. The book page for Zero Click Marketing, which the two co-wrote and which was open for pre-order when we checked on 20 October 2026, says Natividad gave the idea its name in 2022. In SparkToro's post Zero-Click Content, dated 25 July 2022, Natividad described the content side: standalone insights that are useful without a click, such as a Twitter thread, a LinkedIn post or a 60-second how-to video. In that post's words: "Clicking might be additive, but it's not required."
The book page sets out the premise: more than half of Google searches now end without a click, social networks reward content that keeps people on the platform, and ChatGPT answers questions that once sent visitors to websites. It also argues that last-click attribution undercounts this kind of marketing. Fishkin's numbers for the Google part come from two SparkToro clickstream studies, two years apart.
How many Google searches end without a click in 2026?
68.01% of US Google searches from January to April 2026 ended without a click, according to SparkToro's study published on 8 June 2026, which used Similarweb's US desktop and mobile panel. The live page blocked automated access when we checked on 20 October 2026, so we read it through an Internet Archive copy. The study's summary chart splits what happens after a search:
| After a US Google search (Jan to Apr 2026) | Share |
|---|---|
| The search session ends | 39% |
| Another search in Google's search bar | 29% |
| A click of some kind | 32% |
| Of those clicks: organic results (the open web) | 66.61% |
| Of those clicks: AI Mode, YouTube, Maps, Images, News or another Alphabet property | 27.38% |
| Of those clicks: paid ads | 6.01% |
SparkToro's chart also states that for every 1,000 US Google searches, 232 clicks go to the open web. Fishkin calls the rise since 2024 the fastest acceleration in a decade and says it was almost certainly driven by the growth of AI Overviews. AI Mode itself took only 0.34% of searches in the period. The data covers searches in mobile browsers and leaves out the Google mobile app, where Fishkin expects zero-click rates to be even higher.
A follow-up on 16 June 2026, using the same Similarweb panel and months, put zero-click searches at 69.5% in the UK, 65.3% in France, 63.8% in Canada, 63.4% in Italy and 62.1% in Germany.
Are the 2024 and 2026 zero-click studies comparable?
Not directly. Both are SparkToro studies of Google searches, but they use different clickstream panels, months and device weighting. The June 2026 post itself warns that its long-run chart doesn't compare the same users or devices. Here is how the two studies differ, from each study's methodology notes:
| 2024 study | 2026 study | |
|---|---|---|
| Published | 1 July 2024 | 8 June 2026 |
| Clickstream data | Datos, a Semrush company | Similarweb |
| Period | September 2022 to May 2024; mobile data only from January 2024 | January to April 2026 |
| Regions | US and EU | US, plus five countries in the June follow-up |
| Mobile weighting | Sistrix's 2023 figures: 63% of US searches on mobile | About two-thirds mobile, one-third desktop |
| Known gaps | iPhones not in the panel; Google app and Google Assistant voice searches not counted; ad blockers may hide paid clicks | Google mobile app not counted; paid clicks estimated from a third-party benchmark ratio; a mobile session counted as ended after 10 seconds of inactivity |
| US zero-click searches | 58.5% | 68.01% |
| US clicks to the open web per 1,000 searches | 360 | 232 |
One number shows how loose the comparison is. The 2024 study reported 58.5% for the US. The 2026 post's zero-click growth chart shows 2024 at 60.45%, with a note that its 2024 and 2026 figures use the two-thirds mobile weighting, and the post's 7.5-point rise is measured from that 60.45%. Our reading: the direction is clear, and the exact size of the rise depends on which 2024 figure you start from.
Check secondary sources for the 2024 numbers, too. The 2024 study's web address swaps the US and EU figures, and a PPC Land write-up from 3 July 2024 repeats the swap. The study's headline and text give 360 for the US and 374 for the EU.
Google reads the trend differently. Liz Reid, VP and Head of Google Search, wrote on 6 August 2025 that total organic click volume from Google Search to websites had been relatively stable year over year. In Search Engine Journal on 10 June 2026, senior news writer Matt G. Southern noted that the two claims measure different things: SparkToro tracks clicks per search, while Google describes total clicks, which can hold steady if the number of searches grows.
What does Rand Fishkin tell marketers to do instead?
Stop judging marketing by website traffic, and publish where your buyers already pay attention. That is the short version of Fishkin's advice at the end of the June 2026 study:
- Replace traffic as a KPI with a correlation dashboard.
- Do audience research to find the individual sources your buyers follow: people on LinkedIn, creators, subreddits, YouTube channels, podcasts and newsletters.
- Market on platforms you don't own. Mention your product when relevant, and don't obsess over including links.
- Keep your website. Fishkin points out that AI answers draw heavily on what ranks in Google, so your pages still shape what people read even without the click.
- Learn short-form content: video, audio, images and text that live on the big platforms.
- Keep SEO for the categories that still benefit: branded searches, local businesses, and high-intent transactional or tactical queries.
The correlation dashboard comes from Fishkin's October 2022 post on measuring hard-to-measure channels. At the top, track searches for your brand and new followers. In the middle, track direct visits, branded search traffic and subscribers. At the bottom, track sign-ups and sales. Then look for months where they move together. You won't know which post did it, and Fishkin's point is that you can still see lift.
How do you write a LinkedIn post that answers in the feed?
Put the answer in the first two lines and the proof in the body, so a reader who never clicks still leaves with something useful. Natividad's 2022 post gives four ways to do that: give away the punchline up front; give one complete idea in 200 words or less, such as a 200-word LinkedIn post; summarise the heart of a longer piece in bullet points; or lead with the rant that sparked the bigger idea.
Here is the structure we use for an answer-first LinkedIn post. It is our format, not a LinkedIn rule:
| Part | What goes in it | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | The answer itself: the number, the verdict or the first step | One or two lines |
| Source | Who found it, when, and on what data | One line |
| Body | Three to five steps or points a reader can use today | One line each |
| Limits | What the answer doesn't cover | One line |
| Close | A question for readers; a link only if it adds something | One line |
The whole thing fits easily inside the 3,000 characters LinkedIn's help page allows for a post (checked 20 October 2026). For openings that state the answer fast, see our LinkedIn hook examples.
Example: the same study as a link post and an answer post
The difference is whether the reader gets the answer without clicking. Both examples below are ours, written for this post, and both are about the same study.
Example A asks the reader to leave LinkedIn before they learn anything. Example B gives the number, its source and date, three actions and a limit, then invites replies. A link is optional in B: if you add one at the end, LinkedIn's post analytics count visits to links in the post, so you can see whether anyone wanted more. Our LinkedIn post templates follow the same answer-first pattern.
How to measure posts that don't send clicks
Measure attention on the platform each week and brand demand each month. LinkedIn's post analytics help page lists the per-post numbers you can see, including saves, sends on LinkedIn, profile viewers from the post, followers gained and visits to links, and says they are estimates. These steps are our plan for a small team.
Pick the question buyers ask most
Take it from your last ten sales calls or support emails. Write the answer-first post for it, in the structure above.
Log five numbers per post after seven days
Saves, sends, profile viewers from the post, followers gained and link visits. Note who commented and whether they fit your buyer profile.
Track brand searches monthly
In Google Search Console, filter queries that contain your company or product name and record clicks and impressions by month. This covers the top and middle of Fishkin's dashboard: searches for your brand and branded search traffic.
Ask new leads where they heard of you
Add one free-text question to your booking or sign-up form and log the answers next to your posting weeks.
Review after three months
Look for months where posting, brand searches and new leads rose together. Keep the topics that line up, and drop the ones that don't.
If writing a post a week is the bottleneck, Siela's Social Media agents write LinkedIn posts in your voice, in formats such as how-to lists and industry takes, and can show you every post before it goes out.
Frequently asked questions
What is zero click marketing?
Zero click marketing is earning attention, influence and brand awareness on the platforms where people already are, without needing them to visit your website. SparkToro's Amanda Natividad gave the idea its name in 2022, according to the book page for Zero Click Marketing, which Natividad co-wrote with Rand Fishkin, and Fishkin's June 2026 study recommends it as the response to falling clicks from Google.
What percentage of Google searches are zero-click in 2026?
SparkToro's study of Similarweb panel data found that 68.01% of US Google searches from January to April 2026 ended without a click. A follow-up on the same data put the UK at 69.5% and Germany at 62.1%. The data leaves out the Google mobile app, so SparkToro expects the true share to be higher.
Why do the 2024 and 2026 zero-click figures differ so much?
SparkToro says AI Overviews almost certainly drove the rise, and warns that its two panels aren't the same users or devices. The 2024 study used Datos panel data from September 2022 to May 2024 and found 58.5% for the US; the 2026 study used Similarweb data from January to April 2026 and found 68.01%. SparkToro's own 2026 chart shows 2024 at 60.45%, with a note that it used a two-thirds mobile weighting.
Should you put links in LinkedIn posts?
Put the full answer in the post first, then decide. Fishkin advises marketers not to obsess over including links, and Natividad wrote in 2022 that LinkedIn creators say links belong in the comments. If you add a link at the end of a post, LinkedIn's post analytics show visits to links, so you can check whether readers wanted more.
How do you measure zero-click content on LinkedIn?
Use the post's own numbers weekly and brand demand monthly. LinkedIn's post analytics show saves, sends, profile viewers from the post and followers gained. Each month, track searches for your brand in Google Search Console and where new leads say they heard of you, then look for months where posting and demand rise together.
Does zero click marketing mean SEO is dead?
No, according to Fishkin. The June 2026 study says SEO matters as much as ever but won't earn traffic the way it once did, and names categories that still benefit: branded searches, local businesses, and high-intent transactional or tactical queries. Fishkin also advises keeping your website current because AI answers draw on what ranks in Google.
Sources
- SparkToro: In 2026, Less than One Third of Google Searches Still Send a Click (Rand Fishkin) (published 8 Jun 2026)
- Internet Archive copy of the 2026 study, used because the live page blocked automated access on 20 Oct 2026 (archived 13 Oct 2026)
- SparkToro: 2026 study chart, what happens after a Google search (published 8 Jun 2026)
- SparkToro: 2026 study chart, 2016 to 2026 zero-click search growth (published 8 Jun 2026)
- SparkToro: 2024 Zero-Click Search Study (Rand Fishkin) (published 1 Jul 2024)
- Internet Archive copy of the 2024 study (archived 7 Oct 2026)
- SparkToro: Zero-Click Searches: Highest in the UK, Lowest in Germany (Rand Fishkin) (published 16 Jun 2026)
- Internet Archive copy of the June 2026 follow-up (archived 27 Sep 2026)
- SparkToro: Zero-Click Content: The Counterintuitive Way to Succeed in a Platform-Native World (Amanda Natividad) (published 25 Jul 2022)
- Internet Archive copy of Zero-Click Content (archived 1 Oct 2026)
- SparkToro: How to Measure Hard-to-Measure Marketing Channels (Rand Fishkin) (published 11 Oct 2022)
- Internet Archive copy of How to Measure Hard-to-Measure Marketing Channels (archived 28 Sep 2026)
- Zero Click Marketing: The Book (Amanda Natividad and Rand Fishkin) (checked 20 Oct 2026)
- Search Engine Journal: Google Search Traffic To Open Web Drops To 23%, Data Shows (Matt G. Southern) (published 10 Jun 2026)
- Google: AI in Search is driving more queries and higher quality clicks (Liz Reid) (published 6 Aug 2025)
- PPC Land: New Study Reveals Declining Organic Clicks from Google Search Results (published 3 Jul 2024)
- LinkedIn Help: Post analytics for your content (checked 20 Oct 2026)
- LinkedIn Help: Post and share updates (checked 20 Oct 2026)